Hide-stretcher.



F. HORSTNG ums smmmia.

APPLIGA'llN FILM! SEPT r4. f

Patenge Feb. 34, 1914M B, F. HORSTING. HIDE STRETCHBR.

APPLICATION FILED snm. 1913,

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

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APN. muil s IL'HD SEEN" is an enlarged detail View oi [UNITED STATESPATENT omiten.

BERNARD FRANCIS HORSTING, OF ST. LOUIS,

Missoum.

HIDE-STRETCHER. 1,088,279. Specification 0f Letters Patent Patented Feb.24, 1914.

mounted horizontally upon the supporting beam 12 which is secured to the`Wall 0f a building by brackets 18-13. Eachv of the tracks 11 is adaptedto receive a rack 14, which is suspended upon the wheels or rollers 15,which are attached by straps 16 to the block 17. Tubular bars 18-18 arefixedly mounted parallel to each other in the block 17, and upon theirlower the block 19 is slidably mounted collars 20.

y The upper face of the block 19 is ratcheted as indicated. by the.numeral 21, and a trans- Se clamp 22 removably secured to the face ofthe block 19 by means of bolts 23, this Qlamp being adapted to straightend of the hide Serial No. 788,539.

1lb all whom it may concern:

lo it known that l, .BERNARD FRANCIS llo'ns'rixo, a citizen of theUnited States, and a. resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in llide-Slretchers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hide stretehers, andparticularly to an apparatus for the stretching of hide butts, used inthe manufacture of belting and the like, which butts have approximatelyparallel y' by means of side' edges, one Aend being approximatelystraight along its edge, vwhich edge is at right angles to the sideedges, while the opposing or neck end of the butt. is irregular alon itsedge. venlion l employ a series of horizontal and In theapparatus of myinbutt to he stretched.

The irregular end of the hide butt is held parallel suspended tracks,each provided upon the ratcheted face 24 ofthe block 17 by with a .rackslidably niouiited upon its track l f i' .dently adjustable gripby meansof rollers, and a traveling cai;n f in piace by bolts 26, which cuni neslots 27 in the block istineted 1s normally, t upon the traveling ringeprovided with means for re rack at a time from its track. ren'ioved tothe ti Y l' tical position tion, and' i'ln ram whereby i' f. il. uponthe rack is on The traveling .mei'hanism may thnsbe used in theoperation ot' any desired number of stretchingmacks, and dispenses withthe necessity of equipping each rack with a stretching mechanism, assaid racks have commonly been equipped in the prior art.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a top plan View of a series of the suspendedtracks. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rack-receiving and stretchingmechanism, with a rack in place for stretching. Fig. 3 is a. plan Viewof said traveling mechanism. Fig. 4 is av detail illustrating thehorizontal adjustability ofthe ram. Fig. 5 is an elevation illustratingthe means of locking the racktraveling mechanism to the outer end of oneof the fixed tracks.

nog carriage illustrated in Fig.

2 comprises a. frame 27 supported upon wheels 28 which run upon thetrack 29. Upon the frame 27 are mounted uprights 30 and 31. At the topof the uprights 30 the arms 32`32 are'pivotaily mounted and pro-A videdat their outer member 33 and. at their inner endsv with the counterbalancing track-member 33 is provided with lockingr bars i5-35, whichare slidably mounted upon the opposite faces of the track-member bymeans of bolts 36-w36 which pass through the slotted opening 37 in thetrackmember 33 (see Fig. 5). The hand lever 38 is connected to thelocking; bars S35-35i by the rod 39, so that when the arms 32f-2 areswung into verticai position, and the I, carriage frame 9,7 is moved tosueht point Fig. 61s a, top plan view of a portion of the as to bring tbtracks 1i and 33 into alinen Same. ,Fig-7 is a perspective View of thement, the act o the lever 38 is invoked extremity of the stretching rod.Fig. 8 is a. f to thrust the locking hars into posisimilar'view oftheend of the stretching o 5 tion to lof .fk the tracks 11 and 33 in alinemontas .illustrated in Fig. G. The Paoli M Secured fio the lower jaw oia rack, i)

sprmgcom I is then pulled outwardly' into 'position upon the nectionbetween the 'ram and 'L crosslhead the track-,member 38, when thelocking bars 10 is an are released, arti of the, stretching carriage,enlarged det-ailv View of e wedge locking into horizontal posi to thetubular bar. g. Fig.

the .lower jaarl of a rack n the txed tracks 11 are i The chain et?.atti as illustrated {.In the drapings extremities 6 vertically from oneof ends with the trackthe rack is brought secure the Weights 34-34- Theto the upright 31 and to one of the arms 32 yserves to limit the upwardmovement of the arms 32; the spring-pawl 41 serves to 'engage with theproiection 42 on the counter` balance bar 43, to lock it in its lowestposition.

The frame 27 carries the platform 44,

from which projects the perforated arm* upon Iwhich the ram or piston 49is seated in the frame 50 (said frame 50 having cross bars 5l-52), theframe '50 having projecting lugs 53 which engage with the interiors ofthe tubular bars 18-18. The frame 50 is rendered adjustable horizontallyby means of the hand wheel 54, mounted in the bracket 55, the bracket 55being secured to the upri ht 47. The hand wheel 54 operates the s iaft56 which is provided at its inner end with the gear-wheel 57, engagingwith the rack 58 with which the bottom of the ram or piston 49 isprovided. The carriage 50 is supported on Wheels 59, operatingi thetrack 60.

he stretching rods 61-61 are provided at their outer ends with upwardlyprojecting lugs 62 which fit into openings in the lower face of theblock 19, and are there locked by means of clamps 63. A crosshead 64 isjournaled at its ends to receive the stretching-rods 6161, each of whichvrods (il is provided with nuts G5, which said rods are screw threadedto receive.'

The thrust rod 66 is mounted in a piston, not shown, in ,the ram.orcylinder 49. Said ram or cylinder 49 is provided with the inlet pipe(37, into which fluid is forced by the hand pump 68 to drive the pistonand rod 66, to stretch the hide mounted in the rack 14. When/the work issufficiently stretched, the collars'20 are locked in place upon thetubular bars 18 by means of wedges 69, whose inner faces bear againstthe ratcheted faces 70 with which the bars 18 are provided. The hidebein sufficiently stretched, the stretchinor carriage 50 is ad- Justedby means of the hand-wheel 54 to release the rack 14 by withdrawing theproections 53 from the openings in the tubular ars 18; whereupon therack is brought to vertical position, the track member 33 is broughtinto' alinement with one of the tracks 11, and locked in said positionas hereinabove described, whereupon the rack 14 is slid onto the track11, and there left, in vertical position until the work is suicientlystretched.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tohave secured to me by the grant of Letters Patent, is-

l. The improvement in hide stretchers comprising a series of horizontaland parallel suspended tracks, racks removably mounted on said tracks,and a traveling stretcher` adapted to successively register with saidtracks and to successively receive said racks.

2. In a hide stretcher, in combination, a traveling stretcher providedwith a track,- bar; a series of suspended tracks; means for bringingsaid track-bar into successive engagement with said tracks, andextensible racks carried by said tracks, and adapted to be transferredsuccessively from said tracks to said stretchem 3. In a hide stretcher,a series of extensible racks, a plurality of independently ad justablegrippers mounted in series at one end of each of said racks, a clampmounted Y on the opposing end of each of said racks, and a singlestretchingmechanism whereby said racks are successively operated tostretch hides held on said racks by said grippers.

4. ln a hide stretcher, a traveling carriage, a tilting frame carriedthereby, a ram mounted on said carriage, a rack having a fixed jaw and amovable jaw, adapted to be received and held by said frame in verticalposition; means for holding said rack in horizontal position, and meansfor connecting the movable jaw of said rack with said ram,

In testimony' whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inpresence oi two subscribing witnesses. i

BERNARD FRANCIS HORSTING.

Witnesses N. E. BROCKMAN, J. L. HOPKINS.

